Ateneo's much-awaited game against unbeaten UP 'not a rematch', says Tab Baldwin
At A Glance
- While defending champions Blue Eagles struggled to get their bearings going for a 3-3 record, the Fighting Maroons stayed perfect in five outings.
Tab Baldwin doesn’t fancy Ateneo’s chances against the unbeaten University of the Philippines in their much-anticipated first-round encounter.

While defending champions Blue Eagles struggled to get their bearings going for a 3-3 record, the Fighting Maroons stayed perfect in five outings.
With the reality staring down Baldwin in the face, the 65-year-old mentor was the first to admit that going up against the Fighting Maroons won’t be the same as it was last season.
“That’s definitely not a rematch. The names of the teams might be the same, but we’re a far cry from the same team that went out to play them,” said Baldwin.
The Ateneo tactician, though, was glad that his wards were heading into their biggest battle of the season yet with a much-needed 97-77 boost over the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
Before tackling Ateneo, however, UP faces a tall task against the De La Salle Green Archers at press time to determine if they can inch closer to an elimination round sweep.
With the gap in the standings, the Blue Eagles know they have something to prove.
“We have a lot to prove. Every game is an opportunity for us to prove things and it’s a great scenario to go up against the team that’s been (unbeaten this season),” Baldwin said.
Still, Baldwin and the rest of the Blue Eagles remained upbeat for their upcoming matchup against their two-time championship rival.
“We’ll be excited on Sunday (Oct. 22). It’s One Big Fight versus UP Fight. We’re getting a little bit used to that over the years and I’m sure fans will be very enthusiastic about it. we’ll show up but we’ll be losing sleep first over that,” Baldwin concluded.